The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-10-20
TO BE A SOLDIER.
Physical Requirements that Not Many Ap-
plicants Can Meet.

"Then what few men are out of en-
ployment and want to go into Uncle
Sans service are most of them not up
to the standard" said Lieut.. Cusick,
who is in charge of the recruiting of
fee recently moved to Portland from
Pittsburg. 1t is the first opened
in Maine for great many years, per-
haps the first since the days of the
war The lieutenant continued:
1.-The United States army wants
1,5O0 men at once to bring its strength
up to the $4,000 required by the act of
congress. So far we have had but
twenty-one applications in Portland,
and only three of them have been ac-
ceptable. Of the other nineteen there
was one out or another that COM
PEELED us to reject them. Fully two
thirds of them had defective eyes.
One eye was not so good as the other
In the army man must have good
eyes that he may become a good
marksman, and that he may be able
to distinguish different objects. One
eye should be as good as the other
so that in case of temporary injury to
an eye the efficiency of the soldier may
not be impaired. Dissipated habits,
too much rum and tobacco, are COM
mon causes of these weaknesses of the
eyes. In many cases defects of vision
have been produced by blows.
''Then in chest measurement and
weight we find frequent reasons for
rejecting applicants, especially at this
season of the year. The hard work of
summer reduces the weight and the
girth of the chest We have a regular
system of measurements, and it will
not do to depart from a standard in a
single particular. For the infantry
service we take none below feet
inches in height, and none over feet 8
inches. For the cavalry feet inches
to feet 10 inches are the limits. We
don't have any tall cavalrymen be-
cause they are liable to get too heavy.
Light, tough men are wanted for that
service. Now for the shortest in
fantrymen, 5 feet inches we require,
that he shall have a weight of 12S
pounds, chest measurement of "a inches
with the ability to expand his chest 2
inches by drawing in a full breath.
Then these requirements of weight
and chest measurement are higher for
taller men. A man feet inches
tall must weigh 141 pounds at least,
measure 344 around the chest, and
have chest expansion of 23 inches,
for feet 10 inches the required mini
mum is 155 pounds for weight, 353
inches chest and q expansion; for
feet the weight is 1859, the chest meas
urement 363, expansion p. You see
that it does not necessarily follow that
man must be an athlete to join the
army, as the tables to which the pro-
fessors of physical culture train their
pupils to have a standard of chest
measurement somewhere near forty
inches for man six feet tall. But we
want good average well-built, and
healthy men, without any defects
physically. So far we have secured
three out of every twenty applicants.
But don't think this small proportion
is any sign that the vigor of the youth
of Maine is departing. For many rea-
sons the men who apply are not fair
Are the inducements offered by the
service such as to attract the most am
bilious menP" asked the reporter.
''Well, you can judge for yourself.
The soldier gets $13 month with his
board and clothes. He enlists for five
years, and must stay in the service
until his term expires, unless he can get
the secretary of war to allow his dis
increase of 81 a month during the
third year of service, 81 during the
fourth, and s. during the fifth. If he
is promoted he gets further additions
to his pay. He may become cor
poral, a sergeant, quartermaster-
sergeant, a quartermaster, or a COM
missary; he may even go higher, and
by passing an examination before a
board of officers get certified for an
examination at Fortress Monroe, Va.
If he passes at the fort he may then be-
come a commissioned officer, starting
as second lieutenant.
do many avail themselves of the
opportunity"
The young men who graduate at
West Point have the first chance, and
of late they have filled all the vacant
commissions. Practically very few
men rise in the army from the ranks
to commission. Adjt. Gen. Drum,
however, is one who did. I am not a
graduate of West Point myself, but
/ served as an officer of volunteers
during the war, and was then trans
ferred to the regular army as COM
missioned officer. So l had an OPP
portunity better than falls to the young
man who enters the army now in any
other way than through West Point.
Yet there are some promotions even
now. The commissions of the army
are also open to civilians. though this
is not generally known. After the
West Point graduates have got places,
and the promotions from the ranks of
non-commissioned officers have been
made, any vancanies left (there are
,oralv anu hOwavar are oman tn